Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I take this debate on behalf of the Tánaiste as his Minister of State. If it is appropriate, I will pay credit to the Deputy for his time in the Chair and for his mentoring and guidance of new TDs the first time they rose in a debate like this. My first Topical Issue was during the height of the first lockdown of the Covid pandemic. These are far more comfortable surroundings for those who will be making their first interventions.

As State land vested in the Minister for Defence, the Curragh is recognised as a working environment for the State's Defence Forces as well as being a place of historical and cultural importance. The main occupiers are the Defence Forces at the Curragh Camp and the Curragh Racecourse, which leases a large tract of land. In addition, the plains are used by sheep owners who avail of rights of pasture on the lands and both locals and visitors to Kildare as a major natural amenity that I am sure we have all enjoyed at various times.

By our measurement, the Curragh is 4,870 acres and it is one of the most open and accessible areas in the country. While I would not wish to see this level of accessibility diminished, as a public representative, I know the Deputy is acutely aware that this has presented a number of challenges for management, which he has laid out, in respect of illegal camping and also in respect of illegal dumping. It is not just the camping; there are other impacts.

Many illegal encampments were set up over the course of the summer months of 2024. This caused a great deal of disruption and anxiety for local stakeholders, as the Deputy has alluded to. The Department of Defence does not accept that those occupying these encampments have any right to reside on the Curragh Plains and, as such, has been engaged with the CSSO in anticipation of any potential trespassing to ensure that all legal steps are taken promptly to protect the plains. In the case of trespass or criminal damage, it is the responsibility of An Garda Síochána to police the situation. The Department of Defence has already engaged with An Garda on this issue.

With a view to addressing these challenges in the longer term, as the Deputy will be aware, the Department of Defence is working to ensure that we move to a modern and sustainable regulatory model in managing this historically important landscape. As the Deputy will be aware, for the past several years, the Department of Defence has been collaborating with Kildare County Council on the Curragh consultancy project, seeking to develop a suitable future management method and to highlight the importance and significance of the plains. The project came to completion in December 2024 when the Curragh Plains conservation management plan and the associated branding, interpretation and wayfinding strategy were published. The consultation process identified the need for a review of the Curragh by-laws and the Curragh of Kildare Act and potential amendments to provide effective solutions to the challenges faced. The report also identified the need to consider a dedicated agency responsible for the Curragh or to assign responsibility for the site to an existing agency with the necessary expertise.

Throughout the project, both the Department of Defence and Kildare County Council remained cognisant of the need to have in place a means of ensuring the conservation of this ancient landscape while also enabling the area to receive the recognition it deserves. The plan laid out opportunities through which the area can be uniquely identified and also scoped out the development potential of the area as a high-value visitor attraction. It also aims to balance the needs of the various users.

This Government is committed to the implementation of these recommendations to address both the opportunities and the challenges, as can be seen by its inclusion in the programme for Government, which the Deputy alluded to. I appreciate his magnanimous reference to my colleague, Deputy Heydon, which is merited. However, it is also a reflection of Deputy Ó Fearghaíl's consistent advocacy in this area and the draft legislation he produced in 2015. I thank the Deputy again for raising this question and I assure him that it is the intention of the Tánaiste to ensure that the Curragh Plains are protected into the future as an important element of our shared heritage while we also ensure maximum benefit to the local population and those who come to visit. On the Deputy's question as to the timeline, I cannot provide an exact timeline at the moment but it is a pressing need and the Minister for Defence intends to intervene.

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